Plant Protein for Vegans (a Long List)

When I began eating a plant-based vegan diet, I thought I needed to worry about eating enough protein. My doctor thought so, too.

In fact, my doctor tested my blood to make sure I was eating enough protein. When he saw the test results (which were great), he was visibly surprised.

Especially since I avoid soy.

Many of us worry about protein because many of us have been told that protein only comes from a few foods. Or that the only way to eat enough protein is to eat the fluids or flesh of others.

We have not been taught the protein content of all our food that grows from the ground. Plants.

We have not been taught that many of our largest land creatures only consume another’s fluids while nursing—they don’t eat the flesh of others. They eat plants for the rest of their lives.

Yet, they get enough protein. They are strong. Many are huge. They also don’t require soy.

We have bison, camel, cow, donkey, elephants, elk, giraffe, gorillas, hippopotamus, horses, kangaroo, moose, panda, rhinoceros, sheep, water buffalo, yak, zebra, and more herbivores.

But does any of this knowledge apply to humans?

While learning about all the herbivores listed above, my nutrition instructors also taught us about the origins of the protein myth.

I was taught that I’m eating enough protein if I eat my required daily calories from whole plant foods (food that grows from the ground, with minimal processing).

I didn’t believe any of this at first. So I eventually studied our government’s USDA nutrition database, plus more research, to verify this.

Below, I’ve listed the whole plant foods I consume most often and their protein content, all of which I found on the USDA’s website.

How is it that, throughout my entire life, our US authoritative bodies never shared any of this data when they told me what protein to eat?

After all, they should be shouting this from the rooftops, as our government sets our protein guidelines.

This data showed me that my daily protein needs are typically met by lunchtime—by eating whole (minimally processed) plant-based vegan food.

It seems the human race has had difficulty letting go of old protein myths because authoritative bodies continue repeating old protein myths.

People regularly tell me that I need to eat more protein—or that they could never eat a climate-friendly diet because they need animal protein.

It seems others have not yet independently verified the data below. And who can blame them? We were taught to trust what we were taught. We must instead think critically and verify.

I still find it shocking to see the protein content in plant foods, and that this data exists in our government’s database, but is never given to us when we receive dietary guidelines.

Protein is, essentially, in almost everything I eat. In tiny quantities, in medium quantities, and in large quantities. I literally eat protein all day long.

Beans/Lentils

  • black beans, cooked, 1 cup, 15.2 g protein

  • black beans, turtle, cooked, 1 cup, 15.13 g protein

  • black lentils, cooked, 1 cup, 18 g protein

  • chickpea beans, cooked, 1 cup, 15 g protein

  • great northern beans, cooked, 1 cup, 14.7 g protein

  • green lentils, cooked, 1 cup, 18 g protein

  • kidney beans, cooked, 1 cup, 15 g protein

  • mung beans, cooked, 1 cup, 14.2 g protein

  • peas, raw, 1 cup, 7.86 g protein

  • peas, podded/raw, 1 cup, chopped, 2.74 g protein

  • peas, sprouted/raw, 1 cup, 10.56 g protein

  • pinto beans, cooked, 1 cup, 15.4 g protein

  • red lentils, cooked, 1 cup, 18 g protein

  • navy beans, cooked, 1 cup, 14 g protein

  • white beans, cooked, 1 cup, 17.4 g protein

  • yellow lentils, cooked, 1 cup, 18 g protein

Cruciferous

  • arugula, 1 cup, 0.6 g protein

  • broccoli, chopped, cooked, 1 cup, 3.8 g protein

  • brussels sprouts, cooked, 1 cup, 4 g protein

  • cabbage, purple, chopped, raw, 1 cup, 1.3 g protein

  • cauliflower, chopped, 1 cup, 2.1 g protein

  • collard greens, chopped, cooked, 1 cup, 5 g protein

  • kale, curly, chopped, cooked, 1 cup, 2.5 g protein

  • mustard greens, chopped, cooked, 1 cup, 3.6 g protein

  • radishes, slices, raw, 1 cup, 0.8 g protein

  • watercress, chopped, 1 cup, 0.8 g protein

Dark Leafy Greens

  • lettuce, green leaf, shredded, 1 cup, 0.5 g protein

  • lettuce, iceberg, shredded, 1 cup, 0.6 g protein

  • lettuce, red leaf, shredded, 1 cup, 0.4 g protein

  • lettuce, romaine, shredded, 1 cup, 0.6 g protein

Fruit

  • apples, chopped, 1 cup, 0.3 g protein

  • avocados, pureed, 1 cup, 4.51 g protein

  • blackberries, raw, 1 cup, 2 g protein

  • blueberries, raw, 1 cup, 1.1 g protein

  • cherries, raw, with pits, 1 cup, 1.46 g protein

  • cranberries, raw, whole, 1 cup, 0.46 g protein

  • kiwi, raw, 1 cup, 1.91 g protein

  • lemon juice, from concentrate, 1 T, 0.07 g protein

  • lime juice, raw, 1 fl oz, 0.13 g protein

  • mango, raw, 1 cup, 1.35 g protein

  • oranges, raw, sections, 1 cup, 1.3 g protein

  • peaches, raw, 1 cup, 1.41 g protein

  • pineapple, raw, chunks, 1 cup, 0.9 g protein

Grains (Gluten-Free)

  • 1:1 gluten-free flour, 1 cup, 8 g protein

  • corn, grits, cooked, 1 cup, 2.87 g protein

  • millet, cooked, 1 cup, 6.11 g protein

  • oat, flour, 1 cup, 16 g protein

  • oat, steel cut, cooked, 1/4 cup, 5 g protein

  • quinoa, tri-color, uncooked, 1/4 cup, 6 g protein

  • quinoa, white, cooked, 1 cup, 8.14 g protein

Nuts/Seeds

  • brazil (4/month), raw, 1/4 cup, 4.75 g protein

  • pecan, raw, chopped, 1/4 cup, 2.5 g protein

  • walnut, raw, chopped, 1/4 cup, 5 g protein

  • chia, 2 T, 5 g protein

  • flax, 1/4 cup, 7.7 g protein

  • hemp, 3 T, 10 g protein

  • pumpkin, 1/4 cup, 9.75 g protein

  • sesame (tahini), 1 T, 3 g protein

Sweets/Sweetener

  • dates, Medjool, pitted, 1 date, 0.43 g protein

Vegetables

  • artichoke, raw, 1 medium, 4.19 g protein

  • artichoke hearts, quartered, cooked, 1 cup, 4 g protein

  • asparagus, cooked, 1 cup, 4.32 g protein

  • beets, raw, 1 cup, 2.19 g protein

  • carrots, raw, 1 cup, 1.12 g protein

  • celery, raw, chopped, 1 cup, 0.7 g protein

  • corn, sweet, raw, 1 cup, 4.74 g protein

  • cucumber, raw, 1 cup, 0.78 g protein

  • fennel, raw, 1 cup, 1.08 g protein

  • green beans, raw, 1 cup, 1.83 g protein

  • leek, raw, 1 cup, 1.35 g protein

  • mushrooms, raw, 1 cup, 2.16 g protein

  • potatoes, cooked, 1 cup, 2.92 g protein

  • potatoes, sweet, raw, 1 cup, 2.09 g protein

  • tomato paste, 2 T, 2 g protein

  • zucchini, raw, chopped, 1 cup, 1.5 g protein

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